Star Fox: Second Chances
by Wing Ace
Summary: An old enemy, an old flame, and two new faces set out to bring Fox McCloud back into the air he was born to ride.
1. Prolouge

**AN - Please note that this is my first fic. I may not have shaken the bogey that is being a new writer off my tail. Other than that, a few words of warning: this fic contains a small amount of strong language, romance here and there, and also an OC. Sorry if that isn't your thing.**

* * *

Alistair 'Wolf' O'Donnell stood, alone, in own personal quarters on board the space colony station Sargasso. His mind was in turmoil, and had been for a long time now. The lupine mercenary had been staring out of his window for a good few hours, considering whether or not his idea was brilliant or stupid. Unlike his two teammates, Panther Caroso and Leon Powalski, Wolf had actually begun to lose interest in a life of crime,yet his sense of adventure was stronger than ever. He thought to his vulpine rival on one of his periods of musing. He thought about what McCloud had said to him during the Aparoid War and the Blitz, and an idea had struck him like a missile. However, he only fully trusted one other person on this station. If he tried to leave, his henchman would, their leader or not, attempt to stop him before he could even reach his Wolfen. This is where Joseph and his teammate, a spaniel who he had never heard of before now, who were down in Sargasso's cell blocks right at that very moment, came into play. Without his old friend, it would be exponentially more difficult for the lupine's plan to succeed.

"A prisoner in my own home," he thought sullenly, "who would've thought."

At that there was a knock on his door. His ears perked up at the sound.

"Uh-huh?" he called

"Wolf, it's me." came the reply.

Wolf recognised the voice immediately. It was the fourth member of his team, who, for her own reasons, refused to fly anymore. Wolf respected this, as Panther couldn't go a single mission without an attempted pass at her.

"Come in, Blue."

Krystal opened the door, stepping through into Wolf's cabin. She was wearing a pair of black jogging pants and a white vest. In her tail-fur was two silver rings, that Wolf knew had been given to her by Fox, her old mate and team leader. The room was unkempt, and rust bloomed on the wall. However these facts never really seemed to phase him, mercenary as he was. He flopped down on a sofa at the edge of the room, and motioned for the cerulean vixen to take a seat. She strode over and sat down gently next to him.

"So then Krys, what's on your mind?" he asked at last.

"Wolf... I... didn't mean to hear you but... your thoughts were so concentrated, I didn't mean to..." her gaze fell to the floor.

Wolf cursed quietly to himself, realising that the game was up. "I... it's ok Krys. I've... well I've kinda' been planning this for a while now. You see, I tire of leading a sadistic prick and an egoistic fool into battle. I want to leave, restart with a new team. I arranged for one of my old friends to deliberately get himself caught and brought here. I'm going down to his and his partner's cell tonight, busting 'em out, and , for the Gods' sakes, promise, me you won't tell anyone else."

"It'll be kind of impossible if I'm coming with you."

"Well yeah, there's... wait, what?" Wolf tilted his head, slightly confused.

"Every team needs a telepath, Wolf." she replied smugly, tapping two fingers off of her forehead. "I can come with, right?"

"Of course you can, princess." Wolf replied, impressed that she had quite literally just read his mind. He thought he had used a block by putting the same inconsequential memory on a loop in his head. Evidently, he had to try harder in future.

"Well then, I best get packing. How are we getting off the station?" she asked.

"My 'old friend''s team-mate is apparently an expert hacker; she's gonna' create a diversion, probably involving Sargasso's weapons,and we're gonna' make our way to my private hangar on the lowermost floor of the station. I've got a mothership ready to go, Arwings and all. We leave, plot a course, and boom" he emphasised with a click of his clawed fingers. "Job done"

"Well, that's certainly the definition of prepared if I ever heard it. Alright, I'm in." she rose from the couch, and turned to leave.

"Oh, and Krys?"

She turned to face him again.

"Yes, Wolf?" she asked.

And then Wolf O'Donnel did one thing she wasn't expecting: he beamed a toothy grin from ear to pointed ear.

"Ever heard of the G-Zero GP?"

"Yes, why?" she asked, her head tilted to one side quizzically.

"Once we're out, we're going to head to Papetoon. We're gonna' pay a certain racing team a little visit."


	2. Enter Joseph and Fay

**AN - Finally. It's been a while, but I'm resuming this. Hooray for not-dead...ness.**

**Here's the next chapter.**

**StarFox © Nintendo of Japan**

**-Wing.**

* * *

In a cell a few floors down a mixed-breed fox, 28-year-old Joseph Clarke, sat on the military-style cot bed latched to the wall. He had unusual turquoise eyes and russet orange fur, with black markings he had inherited from his father. They were on the tips of his ears, the tip of his tail and also his hands and lower arms like a pair of long gloves. It was a similar story with his paws and shins. Joseph's black hair was short atop his head, and his muzzle ended in a black nose. His mind was currently attempting to guess when Wolf's plan would be underway. His eyes stared on blankly at the wall.

Behind him lay his partner and mate, 27-year-old Fay Deveraux. She was a Fichinan spaniel, with silver-white fur and a petite muzzle ending with a pink nose. She had pure white hair, a trait common to people from Fichina, and deep blue eyes that Joseph could stare into for hours. They had met on a station orbiting the gas giant Eladard three years ago, working for the same mercenary company. They had gone from teammates, to friends, to lovers, to mates in the space of two years. She was sound asleep, so he was careful not to swish his tail and wake her. He wished that Wolf would be here soon.

It was a wish granted, however, as Wolf picked this moment to knock loudly on the cell door.

"Clarke, you in there?" he growled.

"Of course they are," came an oddly familiar voice, "I can sense two presences on the other side of the door, and one of their minds speaks like the man in your memory."

"_Wait, sense? His memory? My mind? And that accent... is she a..._"

His train of thought was presently interrupted by the sound of the door being kicked in. Fay awoke with a start, her instincts kicking in. She leapt off the bed and whirled around to face them, dropping into a defensive stance.

"Woah, woah, easy there Snow White! I'm on your side." Wolf said, raising his hands to reveal them to be empty. Fay relaxed, and leaned up against the far wall. Joseph stood from the cot, and he and Wolf glared at each other. Suddenly, however, the two began to chuckle, and tackled each other into a hug.

"Hey O'D! How ya' been keeping?" Joseph asked the lupine.

"Not bad, Joey, not bad. How 'bout you, eh? Is this your girlfriend, or am I really that outta' the loop?"

At this Joseph broke away and began to blush fervently. "Uh... well... she's, uh, actually my... uh... We're, uh..."

Fay was in a similar state. "We're actually..."

"...Mates." they finally replied at the same time, causing both of their blushes to deepen further.

Wolf stared at the duo with a smug grin on his face. "Oh. Right. Ah, don't worry, I always knew you'd find 'The One' at some point Joseph."

Krystal decided now was the best time to step in. "So, about the plan...?"

Joseph suddenly took in a sharp gasp, and Krystal turned to face him. "Um, is everything alright?"

Joseph simply stood, his mouth agape. "You're... you're a Cerinian!"

"Erm... yes. Why?" the vixen replied, head tilted to one side quizzically.

"I, I... nothing, nevermind" He replied, turning to Wolf

Krystal looked confused, but simply shrugged it off. Inside however, she frowned. She tried to read Joseph's mind to see how he knew of Cerinia. She couldn't penetrate his mind, however. "_His mental blocks are surprisingly strong. Almost 'Cerinian-grade', for lack of a better term" She thought "There's definitely more to this, and him than meets the eye..._"

"OK, OK, Come here, Joseph, Snow." From his shoulder, Wolf shrugged two backpacks. Joseph opened one; Inside was a mercenary-looking uniform, an R-90 Blaster Pistol, a holster, and a full-muzzle flight helmet. Fay lifted out her helmet, and a frown played upon her face.

"Do we have to wear these hunks of junk over our muzzles?" she asked, "I'm a pilot, and I'm a hacker, but I'm not some merc tinhead."

"Sorry there Snowy, but a face like yours is gonna stick out like a sore thumb." Wolf told her. He turned to face the group as a whole. "Right, the plan: Fay, is it?" She nodded. "Right, Fay is going to my office to tap into the Sargasso mainframe and override the capacitors mounted on the station's core. While this is happening, Joseph and Krystal are coming with me to the lowermost floor, my private hangar, to the mothership I've located, and we'll grab three Arwings. I'll autohelm a fourth into position. At this point, the 'diversion' will kick in, we'll blow in a window, and Fay can float on outta' there and into her cockpit, but she'll have no oxygen, so this part has to be perfect, and you'll have to hold your breath. No hitches, or she's spaced; exactly why you need that helmet: It's got a 60-second O2-pack in the mouthpiece. Then, I autohelm the mothership out, and we dock and go. Simple. Any questions?"

Joseph pouted. "Why the additional Arwings? I know Fay can handle herself."

"If the station starts to blow, everyone will try to evacuate. Most of them in fighters, including Leon and Panther and their custom Wolfens. She might need air cover."

Next, Krystal raised her paw. "How will we know when Fay's done?"

A smirk briefly played across her canine muzzle.

"Oh, you'll know, Krystal. Trust me. You'll know."


	3. The Plot Deepens

**I got into the swing of things, so here's another chapter.**

**Enjoy,**

**Wing**

* * *

"Fay was right," Joseph thought to himself as he walked briskly behind Wolf and the Cerinian, Krystal, "These helmets are stuffy as Hell." He still couldn't quite get over the fact that there was a real, live Cerinian in front of him, currently trying to look inconspicuous. She had fluffy blue fur, and had the right markings, and even had that unmistakable accent. Still, Joseph couldn't tell her yet. Once they were off the station, maybe. But not now. His train of thought was quite suddenly interrupted by the cycling of two rifle capacitors. Two Venomian primates in light armour blocked the elevator they were planing to take to the bottom deck. One wore a ballistics helmet, and carried an AR-10 Blaster Rifle. He sighted the two vulpines.

"Lord O'Donnell, sir? Where are you going at this hour?" the other asked, raising an AR-10 Blaster Rifle to Wolf.

"Somewhere Panther and Leon can't buy people out, monkey." he replied, raising a custom R-90 and calmly shooting him in the head. Before either the first guard or Joseph could react, Krystal had extended her staff and smashed the other man in his helmet. She then delivered a punishing blow to his ankle, sweeping him off his feet. He landed with a soft 'thud', incapacitated. Wolf showed a small device on the elevator switch his cybernetic eyepiece.

"ACCESS GRANTED," an artificial feminine voice acknowledged, "WELCOME, LORD O'DONNELL. PLEASE SELECT A DESTINATION."

The three of them stepped into the elevator, Wolf dragging the bodies in behind them. He then pressed a button marked with a 0. The doors closed, and the elevator whirred to life. "OK," Krystal said, "Clearly Powalski and Caruso know what we're up to. So, now what?"

"Simple," Wolf replied casually, "We go ahead with the plan. Leon and Panther will never be able to launch in time. I cut the magnetic clamps on our dock. Currently, the Black Rose , Rainbow Delta and, sadly, my Red Fang, are all floating around in the near vicinity of the station. Ah well, I guess we all have to sacrifice something sometimes. Trust me, though, we'll be long gone."

"Guys," Joseph suddenly altered them, "Here comes Deck 0." He hefted one of the guards AR-10s, turning to face the doors. They opened slowly, revealing the room ahead to be empty. Breathing a sigh of relief, Joseph dropped the rifle. To Krystal's astonishment, he instead raised and extended a staff of his own. She stood, mouth agape, at a Cerinian Enforcer staff.

The exact same model as her own.

Joseph noticed her gaze, and turned to face her, twirling the staff with one hand. "Oh this?" He asked, gesturing to the staff, "I found it on my travels. Taught myself to use it. Know it's not Cornerian tech, though."

"It's not," she told him, "It's Cerinian technology."

"Oh wow, really?" He replied, looking at it as though in a new light. "Well, I'll be. That's certainly interesting."

"Where exactly did you-"

"Hey, you two!" Wolf shouted from further down the corridor, "You coming or what?"

"Yup, wait up Wolfy!" Joseph yelled back. He turned and gestured down the hall. "After you, Krys." The two foxes ran down the hall, catching up to Wolf in no time at all. When they did, they found another door and Wolf opening it with another cybernetics scan. It slid aside to reveal a spacious hangar. Inside was the one thing Krystal thought she would never see again.

Docked to the celling, now painted with black detailing instead of red, was the Great Fox II.


	4. Tail Between His Legs

**AN- Sorry it's taken me as long as it has to get a new chapter up, my computer was on the fritz. It got so bad, i ended up writing this chapter on my phone and then using the computer to post it. Thankfully though, i managed to repair the fault and standard posty-ness should resume.**

**Anyway, here it is.**

**Enjoy,**

**Wing.**

* * *

Fay walked briskly through the hallway, in an attempt to make sure none of the guards were aware of her identity. She was confident that the helmet would be enough, but she wasn't taking any chances. She strode down the hallway as fast as her legs could go without running. Running would only draw more attention. She approached an elevator, stepped inside, and punched the button for Wolf's personal floor, Floor 11. The elevator shot upwards, likely some sort of protocol to ensure that someone on their way to Wolf was on-time. The elevator stopped, and she reflexively un-holstered and raised her R-90. The doors opened to an empty Floor 11. Breathing a sigh of relief, Fay lowered her pistol and dashed out of the elevator, making as fast as she could for Wolf's office. She turned the corner, and knocked into someone, dropping her pistol and nearly following it to the floor, instead landing on her knees. It skittered across the floor, and a black, furred paw reached down to retrieve it. Fay glanced up to see none other that Panther Caruso was pointing her R-90 at her helmeted skull.

"Is this yours?" He asked in a seductive tone, spinning it on his fingers and holding out the grip to her. She took it from his paw and thrust it into her holster. " I wouldn't go dropping your weapon around here, sugar," he continued, keeping the same tone. "Some of the mercenaries on this station are downright mean, and you might need... protecting." He extended his arm to her.

"I can handle myself" She replied monotonously, trying to remain calm. She brought herself to her feet."

"Well well, a tough girl, huh? I bet you're still pretty under that helmet" He added, "Panther Caruso. And you are...?"

Fay said the first thing that came to her, the nickname Wolf had used when he didn't know her actual name in the cellblock.

"Snow. Pleasure."

"The feeling is mutual, Snow. Now, how come I've never seen you around here before? I'm sure I'd remember a... physique like yours, if I had seen it."

"What did you say?" Fay growled quietly.

"All I'm saying is, that armour really shows off your... figure." He replied, back to using the seductive tone. "This one's in the bag..." He thought to himself. Instead though, something rather different happened. The mysterious woman in front of him balled her hands into fists, and a second growl eminated from beneath her helmet.

"Bite. Me. Asshole." She replied, in a threatening tone.

"Oh, he said, as though he was catching on, "Do you like that sort of thing?" This almost sent Fay into a fit of rage, but she contained it.

Instead, however, she un-holstered her pistol and whipped him across the face.

A certain Cerinian would have loved to have witnessed it. He yelled and staggered backwards onto his backside.

"With my mate," she snarled, emphasising the word, "Maybe. But certainly not you, jerk!" She ran down the hall and into Wolf's office, sealing the door behind her. Thankfully, Wolf appeared to be the paranoid type, and the door could only be operated from her side. Suddenly, there was a banging noise. Panther must have saw her go in.

"If you don't open this door this instant, I'll rip you to shreds you with my bare paws!" Panther bellowed.

"Go ahead and try it, pervert!" She yelled back, accessing Wolf's computer and beginning the bypass of Sargasso's systems. Wolf appeared to have planned ahead, as most of the security software had been conveniently disabled. She was through to the core stems in 25 seconds flat. She set the gravimetric capacitors to overload, which would disable the gravity aboard for a few hours while they cooled. The computer now awaited her approval. At this point, she remembered the communications earpiece she had been given by Wolf before she split with the other group.

"This is Fay..." she spoke into it...

* * *

"_...Are you receiving me?_"

At this point, Wolf, Joseph and Krystal had already boarded and were nearing the hangar bay at the front of the ship.

"This is Krystal, I'm here. Situation?"

"_Well, I'm locked in O'Donnell's office with a very annoyed Panther on the other side of the doors._"

"What did you do ta' piss him off?" Wolf queried.

"_Asked me if I wanted to spend some 'private time' in his quarters. I told him to bite me. He thought I meant during 'it', so I pistol-whipped him._"

"Wow. Nice going, Tex" Would replied sarcastically.

"_What did you expect for me to do? Go along with it?_" She replied.

"Point taken, snowy. How long until you're done?" He asked.

"_I ve been done for about a minute and a half now. I'm not just a pretty face you know._"

" I realised that when you pistol-whipped somebody." Wolf replied

"_Touché. Now how long's that ship gonna' be_?"

"With you in two. Hang on, kid. Wolf out."

Krystal suddenly turned to Joseph as they continued down the corridor. "I'm sorry, but, I have to put up with him for months and she just gets to smack him one on first sight?"

"Hey, don't ask me." He replied, casually.

They neared the hangar bulkhead. Wolf hit the door release. It slid aside to reveal the Great Fox II's spacious hangar. Docked were six Aparoid-Conflict-era Arwings, christened by mercenary and CDF navy pilots as the 'Assault Arwing' for it's improved shielding and weapons over the original model. Krystal and Joseph both turned to Wolf, but she got the question out first. "Hold on, why six?" she queried.

"You'll see. For now, mount up. We got a lady that needs rescuing."


	5. The Great Escape

Fay was running out of options.

Panther had left momentarily, but was now back with what sounded like a small group of thugs, likely sold out mercenaries. They were attempting to hack the door, and Fay was running out of firewalls to erect over the standard security. Eventually, they were going to get through, and Fay was praying they wouldn't get the countermeasures down in time. She kept putting up security, but by that time they'd got the one in front of it down.

However, her ears perked up at a humming sound emanating from behind her. She turned to see what it was, and smiled.

"Hello there." she muttered.

* * *

Panther was growing impatient. The thugs under his command could not even open a simple door! He growled as he paced up and down the hallway.

"Caruso, sir!" One of the mercenaries, a chameleon who Panther thought closely resembled his teammate Leon, suddenly shouted. "The firewalls... they- they've stopped. I'm in!"

"Finally, it took you long enough." He muttered in reply. He reached past the merc for the door release. With a press of his ebony paw, it slid back into it's housing to reveal the one who called herself Snow standing in a defiant-looking pose, helmet now removed. Panther raised his pistol to her face. He noticed there was a discreet humming noise, but dismissed it as the station's engines.

"Two things before I die," she suddenly said, "One: the name is Fay Deveraux, and my mate's name is Joseph Clarke. Remember them both, because he and I will come for you, and leave you in a world of pain for what you almost did." She holstered her pistol, and slipped the helmet over her head, securing the seals, for some reason Panther was unaware of. "And two: You better watch out..."

'Fay' stepped to the side, and Panther's eyes widened to an impressive imitation of a pair of yellow saucers. Outside, floating, were four Arwings, one empty with it's canopy open.

"...because we're back in business. Do yourselves a favour. Run."

Almost as if on cue, the lead fighter began to charge a heavy shot, and Panther's mind suddenly and rapidly connected the dots: Window. Empty Arwing. Pressure helmet. Charge shot.

"Oh shit..." he muttered. He turned to face the mercenaries behind him, who were all looking slightly bewildered. "RUN!" he yelled, sprinting as far down the corridor as far as possible. They must have got the message, because he could hear a flurry of padsteps and yells from behind him. After a few seconds, there was a crash and a woosh of air, knocking the group to the floor. An emergency bulkhead sealed behind them with a clang of metal.

"Dammit!" He growled, slamming his fist off the metal floor and then rising to his feet. "Can any of you pilot fighters?" He asked to the mercenaries. Three raised their hands. "OK, four on four. Not bad odds, I suppose" he mused. "Now here's the hard part:"

"Any of you feel like taking them on?"

* * *

Fay glided out of the office window, Krystal's charge shot having completely obliterated most of the glass, more melting it than shattering it. With a graceful zero-G backflip and a little help from Newton's First Law, she landed straight in the Arwing's cockpit. She sealed her canopy and released the helmet's clamps, placing it under the seat and retrieving the the flight headset from the controls. She moved it behind her head and fitted it into place. Sensors on the inside picked up her brain activity and brought the headset online. A Heads-up display and microphone slid into place on the right-hand side of her face. On the HUD, five icons appeared at the top. Three of them blinked to life, revealing the faces of Joseph, Krystal and Wolf.

"Hey Fay. Are you alright?" Joseph asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm good. Nothing wrong physically, flight controls green across the board." She replied.

"OK, that's good." he replied, "Now, when does that capacitor overload thing kick in?"

Almost on cue from the station, a series of red warning lights began to blare in the windowed corridors. The engines at the bottom of the station also blinked out.

"Hmmm, I wonder..." asked Fay sarcastically.

"Uh oh." Krystal muttered.

"What is it, Krys?" Wolf asked.

"I'm reading four fighter-class signatures coming from Hangar Bay 2. What's in there?"

"Nothing much," Wolf assured her, shrugging, "Just our... Ah Hell."

"What?"

He facepalmed on the display. "Just our old Wolfens." As he said this, three Venomian Interceptor-class ships and Panther's original Wolfen from when he first joined the team shot out of one of the docks.

"Didn't think you'd get away that easy, did you?" Caruso growled menacingly over the comm. The four wings of the Wolfen sprang to life, and the sleek fighter shot forward, heading straight for Wolf. The three Interceptors broke off from behind their leader and sped off towards Krystal, Joseph and Fay.

"Well" Joseph said, cracking his knuckles on the display, "If it's a fight you want then you've made one hell of a bad life choice."

* * *

_**Cue Panther's Command Theme - "Caroso, Lady's Man"**_

* * *

The four Arwing's wings swept back and, engaging their boosters, jetted towards the incoming hostiles. One of the Interceptor pilots began to fire before he was in range, and his few futile shots simply missed altogether. Panther sped ahead of the three others ships in his Wolfen and let off a laser barrage of his own. Three or four shots impacted with Wolf's shields, dropping them to 95%. He pulled in behind Panther as he soared past and attempted to retaliate, charging a heavy shot, but before he could lock on, one of the Interceptors rolled into position behind him. Another two shots, and he was on 93%.

"Aw crap!" he yelled, "I'm boxed in. Little help?"

"Hang on, Wolfy! I got'cha!" Joseph shouted in reply. Half a dozen rounds connected with the top of the trailing interceptor. Milliseconds later, Joseph's Arwing swooped down in front of it, missing Wolf's G-Diffuser assembly by about a meter.

"Yee-hah!" He whooped, rolling into an U-turn and swooping up behind Wolf's pursuer. The Interceptor peeled off, attempting evasive maneuvers, and Joseph did his best to stay on him.

"Careful, Clarke!" Wolf chided, "We were almost scrap metal there!" He continued to pursue Panther, charging and firing another heavy shot; this one did connect, and the upper one of the Wolfen's triangularly-mounted G-diffusers shattered, floating off into space.

"Damn it!" He heard Panther yell, and a smile grew on Wolf's lupine muzzle.

Above them, Krystal was being pursued by the remaining two enemies, shields now at 75%.

"Aah!" She yelled, "I've got two on me, and I can't shake either of them! Help!"

"Hang on" replied a new voice. To both side's amazements, it was the Rainbow Delta that shot to the rescue, soaring upwards at the Interceptors' underbellies. Multiple heavy shots slammed into the lead of the two, completely draining it's shields. Fay's Arwing dove in behind it and finished it off with a burst of laser fire. It detonated in a silent fireball, fragments of vaporised metal showering the other Interceptor.

"Powalski?" Wolf stated in disbelief, " is... 's that really you?"

"The one, the only." Came the quick reply.

"Why are you helping us?" Krystal asked

"Because Panther's an ass, and it's about time I kicked him." His display flared to life, and he flashed them a toothy grin.

"Help is help," Fay noted, peeling off to assist Leon in chasing another Interceptor, "But how'd you get to your ship? Wolf cut them loose."

"Ah, I was wondering how that'd happened. A pressure suit and some patience, that's all it took." Together with some assistance from Krystal, they quickly eliminated another enemy fighter.

"Two down, two to go!" She cheered enthusiastically. The third Interceptor pilot must have realised the inevitability of his defeat, as he quickly U-turned and sped back towards Hangar Bay 2.

* * *

**_"Caroso, Lady's Man" fades to nothing._**

* * *

"Come back here you goddamned coward!" Panther yelled futilely. Sighing, he U-turned back towards his enemy, but immediately slowed to a complete stop, which was impressive given the fact he was only running on two G-diffusers. In front of him was all five of them, lined up in a row and facing him.

"Do yourself a favour, Panther" Wolf began, "Your cronies are dead or gone. You've failed to kill me, or anyone here for that matter, even in a Wolfen, the ship you can fly better than any of us. You were out team's ace, but clearly that time has passed, along with the old me. So do yourself a favour and get out of my sight."

"I'm not leaving until you're dead, you pathetic traitors. At least _I_ remember where my loyalties lie." He snarled in response.

"Your '_loyalties'_ lie with a team that dosen't even exist any more" Krystal retorted, "Star Wolf is done, Panther. We were falling apart any way. And it was because of you. I stopped flying because you couldn't stop flirting like an idiot, Leon stopped talking to you because you were always boasting and bragging about things that never happened. Wolf could sense us breaking apart, and he had the decency to try and go while he still could. You want to try and stay on, be our guest. You've got one broken ship and only you to fly it. Best of luck, arsehole."

At that moment, the Great Fox II rolled out of the Deck Zero Hangar and into the space below them.

"You're dead in space, Caroso. Don't try to follow us, because I know you can't. I'm sure a team from Sargasso will come by and pick you up in a day our so, or however long it takes for them to look out a window."

With that the five ships turned and boosted off toward the Great Fox II. Panther sat there, growling. _'One of these days'_, he thought, '_they're all going to regret screwing with me like this. On of these days, I swear.'_

* * *

After docking in the hangar, the quintet of pilots opened their canopies and stepped out on to the flight deck. The pressure doors sealed, and the oxygen shield snapped offline. Joseph went straight to Fay and, before she could so much as say a word, drew her into a deep kiss. Leon, who happened to have landed next to Fay, stood there feeling a little awkward.

"For the love of Lyla," Joseph said, pulling away, "If Wolf ever comes up with a plan that involves you backflipping out of a window, that's just been destroyed by lasers, and landing in an Arwing, ever again, please don't go along with it."

"OK, Romeo, thats enough." Fay replied. "I promise." She added, raising her right hand in a mock oath. Joseph laughed, and Fay pulled him into a hug.

Leon, sensing he should probably get out of there and leave them to it, walked back to his ship.

"Hey Leon!" Wolf shouted, raising his hand after him. Leon turned to face him, and Wolf outstretched his arm.

"It's pretty clear you don't want to come with, what with you sneaking off and all, but I at least want to say, that it's been an absolute pleasure working with you."

"Likewise Wolf," the chameleon replied, shaking Wolf's hand. "Who knows, I might even run into you again sometime."

"Until then, Powalski." Wolf said. Leon smiled, nodded, and stepped up and into his cockpit. The shield pulsed back into life, and the doors opened with a metallic grinding noise. The Rainbow Delta's G-diffusers flared to life, and the ship ascended and shot out if the hangar with a streak of purple engine emissions.

* * *

**(AN) - Well, that's another chapter.**

**Also, I've had the idea of doing longer chapters once a week, so expect one next Saturday too**

**Peace,**

**-Wing Ace.**


	6. Hybrid

**I'm on a proper roll right now, so I managed to get this week's chapter done days ahead. Here you all are; Enjoy!**

**-Wing**

* * *

Wolf walked out of the hangar and to the elevator, heading for the bridge. When he got to the top deck, the bridge doors slid aside to reveal Joseph and Krystal, already deep in conversation.

"...couldn't help but notice that something doesn't add up." He heard Krystal say as he stepped in. "The staff I could believe, the the psychic blocks maybe. But you let one thing slip you just can't know. I only ever told five others about Cerinia, and you aren't one of them. There's no way Wolf told you," she said, pointing a finger at the confused lupine, "and there's no way any of the other four would either. So, how did you know I was Cerinian if I never told you?" She finished, now pointing the same finger at him accusingly.

Joseph hung his head. "Ah, shit." He muttered under his breath. "Guess the game's up" He raised it again, staring directly into her eyes. It must have been something significant, as Krystal's eyes widened like a pair of frisbees. "Impossible." She whispered.

"The blocks are down," he responded, "see for yourself." He replied, keeping contact.

She closed her eyes, then opened them again to reveal them glowing a bright cyan. Wolf had seen this before, when Krystal had read somebody's memories. After about ten seconds or so, she did the same thing again, and her eyes were back to normal. What surprised Wolf was that she was crying. Tears spilled down her face, but she was smiling. And then it hit him:

They must be tears of joy.

She ran forward and threw her arms around Joseph, laughing and crying. Wolf, wondering what in Lyla's name was happening, stepped towards them. "Uh, I hate to break up whatever the hell is going on here, but, well, what actually is going on here?"

Krystal turned her head to face him, still beaming a huge smile. "Come on Wolf, keep up. Enforcer staff, psychic blocks, knowledge of my people?"

"Aaaand?..." He asked, confused.

"And, how could he possibly have them, and know so much?"

"Well, he could be Cerinian, but that's ridiculous. I mean, for one, you told me all Cerinians have blue fur. Do you see any blue on him?" He asked.

"Well no, but..."

"And that they have weird tattoos on their arms and hips. Joseph?"

"I'll prove it." He suddenly and simply stated.

"Huh?"

"I said, 'I'll prove it'"

Joseph closed his eyes, and opened them again a second later to reveal the same shade of cyan. Wolf was taken aback. He had never seen his friend do anything like this before. When he opened them back to usual again, he said one simple word, and Wolf believed him that very instant.

"Alistair"

Wolf's real name was the only secret no-one else alive knew. And the only way he could have known it...

Was if Krystal was right.

Wild raised a clawed paw to his head, trying to take all this in. One question sprang to mind.

"So, how is your fur orange?"

"I'm only half Cerinian. My dad was a red fox, an explorer named Matthew Clarke. He found Cerinia on his travels, and settled down there. He met my mom, Kiara, and she got pregnant with me a few years later. Cerinia was on par with Corneria in terms of technology, but their fleet was mostly civilian. When the Venomian Fleet showed it's not so pretty face, they... we... were completely unprepared. Almost no-one survived. My dad still had his shuttle from his exploration days though. He tried to pick me up from a park, or someplace similar, in the ship once we knew what was going on. I got on board, but a fireteam of Venomian infantry has followed my through a treeline. A few shots got through the door, and one of them hit my father in the chest. He was hurt bad, but he didn't tell me until it was too late. He passed a little while after we broke orbit." Joseph finished, his head hung low.

"Crap," Wolf responded, "I shouldn't have brought it up man. Sorry."

"No, it's OK. It's about time I got that out of my system."

"Another thing then; why are you still wearing that stupid merc outfit?"

"Oh, sorry. I never really put it on."

"OK, what?" Wolf replied, confused. "You're wearing it right now."

"I forgot to turn it off. A psychic technique that I came up with, to answer your next, inevitable question. I call it, 'perception damping'. You're actually seeing what I want you to see. Here, close your eyes, and then open them again."

Wolf complied, and standing before him was an almost entirely different Joseph. He was wearing a granite grey sleeveless flight-suit, a set of tattoo-like patterns closely resembling Krystal's own markings now visible on his arms. Over the legs of the suit were a pair of denim jeans, and he was also wearing dark brown combat boots and a white, body-warmer-looking sleeveless vest. Where Joseph's fur had before been black in some areas, it was now a familiar cerulean blue, except for the tip of his tail and his muzzle, which was now a brilliant white. He must have turned it off for Krystal while she was reading his memories. However, his eyes were the same turquoise blue. "So this is the real you, then?" Wolf asked.

"Yeah," he replied, shrugging, "No more mind tricks, no more secrets. I promise you, it's all out in the open now."

"Finally told 'em, huh?" asked Fay, walking in to the bridge. She was wearing a pink flight-suit, similar to the one Joseph was already wearing. Her long, snow-white hair was now tied with a large, bright red bow behind her head, and the white jacket she was now wearing was left open, showing the flight-suit beneath. She was also wearing a set of black boots, which went up to her shins, and a dark brown belt.

"Yep," Joseph replied, "They all see what you see now."

"Aw, don't worry sweetie," she replied casually, "I think orange and blue suits you. So," she began, turning to Wolf, "What's the plan huh? Where to now?"

"Papetoon." Wolf replied, bringing up a hologram of the desert planet, "Homeworld of the vulpine race, and our next destination."

"Oh, I get it." Krystal said, snapping her fingers, "Six Arwings. We're hiring more pilots, right?"

"Exactly." he responded.

"When I was getting your name, I noticed something else" Joseph told Wolf, "You mentioned to Krystal that we were 'Paying a certain G-Zero team a visit'. G-Zero pilots are teams of two. Our targets are one of the teams, aren't they?"

"Yep, the StarWing racing team."

Fay cocked an eyebrow. "StarWing? Are you... Oh!" she said, appearing to catch on to something, "Oh, thats brilliant! Wouldn't be a mercenary team without 'em."

"Nice choice Wolfy." Joseph added.

"I'm sorry," Krystal asked aloud, "But am I missing something here? Who are StarWing?"

Wolf turned to her, now with a completely serious face on, which was rather surprising to Krystal. It was to the point where he was almost baring his teeth. "Before I tell you, you have to swear to at least give him a chance."

"Him?" She asked, confused.

"Promise me, Krys."

"Alright, I promise. Now who are they?"

Wolf brought up their faces on screen, and Krystal was shocked for the second time in as many minutes.

"Team StarWing," he told her, "Are Fox McCloud and Falco Lombardi."

* * *

**So, Joseph isn't what most of y'all were likely expecting, and the extra Arwing's purposes are revealed! I really enjoyed writing this chapter. The idea for Joseph to be half-Cerinian has been rolling around in my head for a while, and I've decided to go with it. And don't worry, I've got something cool with that 'Perception damping' business lined up, and you're all gonna' love it. I'm going to try to make Papetoon all one super-chapter, so I'm afraid that it probably won't be early like this one was.**

**'Till next Saturday,**

**-Wing**


	7. Second Chances

Amongst the silence of space, there were two systems colonised by the collective species: the Lylat-Solar binary system and the Polaris system. Much smaller than Lylat, the Polaris system contained only four planets: Papetoon, Kew, Sauria and Eladard. The system was less populated too, with only one of it's worlds, Papetoon, having a population of over a billion, and even then only just. By comparison, Corneria's populace totaled eight and a half billion people.

In orbit of Papetoon, the Great Fox II warped in-system. It's sublight drive core flared into life, and it moved into a stable orbit around the planet. The surface was mostly a mix of outbacks and oceans, with one our two jungles and a half dozen cities dotting the otherwise-arid landscape. Aboard the Great Fox II, the four members of it's crew were making their way to the hangar. Wolf opened the door, and everyone but Fay taken aback. The six Arwing fighters were vastly different. There were longer barrels on the side cannons, and the nose cannon and smart bomb bay had been completely removed, replaced with some sort of custom weapon. The barrel of it was just visible, sticking out slightly from the angular hull plates. Each of the fighter's G-Diffuser assemblies were now a different colour. Wolf's was crimson red, Joseph's the same orange as his fur, Fay's an identical pink to her flight suit, and Krystal's a purple colour. The remaining two were a blank canvas, painted entirely white.

"Wow, hon, you work fast!" Joseph exclaimed.

"This was all you? In two and a half hours?" Wolf asked, turning to face Fay.

"Yup!" She replied cheerily, "I've trimmed the drive core output, jumped up the response times on the controls, and increased the dilution capabilities on the G-diffusers. Oh, and I painted them too. Joseph mind-read your favourite colours and telepathed them to me, so you should all know who's is who's. But my favourite upgrade has got to be the weapons. I've screwed around with the circuitry a bit, and now it starts off firing 'twin' lasers, but alternates between the two guns, giving you a rate of about four rounds per second. That big thing that I've shoved in where the nose gun and bomb bay went is a prototype, miniaturised version of a starship-grade Plasma Cannon. It fires a high-velocity plasma slug at a fraction of the speed of light, so good luck evading it. It takes about three minutes for it to charge a shot, so make every one of them count. Oh, and Wolf? I remodelled you flight headset to interface with your prosthetic eye, giving you the HUD over your vision, thanks to both Joseph and your knowledge of your eye. I'm not just a hacker, you know. I'm just into tech in general. I got bored, a certain toad left behind blueprints, and this happened" she finished, gesturing to the Arwings.

Wolf simply whistled in admiration at the improved fighters before him. "OK, then lets get planetside."

The four pilots climbed into their new ships. The doors opened, the oxygen shield snapped into place, and the lift locks were released.

"Communications line... green." Krystal said, trailing off on the last word. Fox had said that before Fortuna. Memories came flooding back to her of their time together. That first sight on Sauria. All the time he spent training her to be a mercenary and a pilot. The Aparoid Invasion. Leaving. That one hit her hardest. It always did.

They shot out of the hangar as one, soaring towards the planet below. They were a few minutes from their destination before Krystal felt a presence at the back of her mind.

"_Hey_," Joseph's voice said, filling the inside of her mind, "_Are you OK over there, Krys_?"

"_Just old memories, that's all._"

"_Krystal, you of all people should know you can't lie to a telepath. Are you sure that you're OK with seeing Fox again_?" he asked.

"_Yes, I believe both of us are owed a second chance to right our actions toward each other since the start of the Blitz. He owes me one, but I in turn owe him._"

"_Rule number one of relationships, Krystal: everyone, regardless of their actions, deserves a second chance._"

This brought a small smile to Krystal's muzzle.

"_Don't worry, I plan on giving him his._"

* * *

A few hours later, and the Ascension City Grand Prix was on it's final lap. Number 005 was in the lead, a small, rounded salmon-coloured craft. However, as it approached the very last turn, it was suddenly and rapidly overtaken by a white and blue, angular racer. This, number 010, shot across the line to victory. The crowd went wild, as the cliché goes. The racer was immediately followed by it's teammate, who had put 005 into 3rd place. The two craft slowed, and their canopies hissed open. From them stepped the victorious team of Fox McCloud and Falco Lombardi. Falco, as always, wore his trademark blue jumpsuit, cyan scarf, white coat with flared sleeves for his wings and constant cocky grin. Fox was wearing a yellow flight suit, a pair of black combat boots and his father's sunglasses. He was starting to grow a but of a goatee, but so far he seemed to like it. Fox stepped quickly into the team's garage before any of the paparazzi, that had practically followed the cars while they were moving, could catch him up. Among them, however Fox notice a quartet of black-robed figures. He turned to tell Falco, but he blinked and they were gone. Strange.

"Goddamned press." he heard Falco mutter, "Sometimes," he continued, louder now that they were inside, "I just wish they go ask for somebody else's bullsh-"

"Now now, Falco, language!" scolded a voice from beneath their team's spare craft. A figure in a welding mask wheeled out from it on a roller. A pair of feline ears were visibly protruding from the top of the mask.

"Since when did you do repairs or the mothering around here, Lynxy?" he asked.

"Since you couldn't be assed, birdbrain." The figure slipped off the mask revealing an angular face and a set of sea-green eyes. An ear piercing was now visible in the bottom of the right ear, a small golden loop. She, as Fox now recognised her as female with the mask off, was wearing a dark green vest, over which there was a white coast with the sleeves rolled up, denim jeans, a pair of black fingerless gloves, and a set of boots near-identical to Fox's own.

"Well, excuse me, Miss I-have-lame-insulting-names-for-Falco, I was busy kicking ass out there on the track!" Falco retorted.

"I don't care how much proverbial ass was kicked, Foxy here was the one who won it, so you can't brag at all."

"Touché, Ms. L." Falco replied, attempting to sound gentlemanly, even doing a mock bow.

Miyu Leslie stood from under the race craft, wiping her paws. She had originally joined StarWing as a spare pilot, but now was racing as much as they were. Whoever wasn't on track would usually get bored. Miyu just tinkered with her craft to pass the time. Suddenly, there was knock from the back wall of the garage.

"Ah, shit." Falco cursed, "They found the back door."

"Relax, Fal." Fox assured him "It's probably just one crew who got lucky. I'm sure one set of questions won't kill us. Better that than the seven or eight we'd get if we just waltzed out the front shutter."

"OK, OK. Let's get this over with." He replied grudgingly. The three made their way to the back door, but what greeted them was not a news crew. Four black robed figures stood in the doorway. The two at the front appeared to be foxes by the look of them, a white muzzle jutting out from beneath their hoods. The others were also canines, but he couldn't quite make out their species at a glance. But it was the hoods that surprised Fox the most. They completely covered their eyes. There was no way they could see through them, and yet the two foxes turned to Fox's direction as though they could see him clearly.

"James McAllister, Falco Lombardi, and...?" One of them, a female vixen with an almost familiar accent asked. Fox's alias, he realised a, little later than he should've. But where had he heard that accent before? "It sounded like Krystal's", he thought to himself. Lyla, he missed her. Almost as soon as he thought this, the vixen let an only barely audible gasp, a tiny rush of air. Odd.

"Miyu Leslie. Can we... uh, can we help you?" the lynx asked, a little perplexed.

"May we come in? My colleagues and I have an important proposition for you, but we can't exactly make it to you out here." The male of the two foxes, as he could now tell, asked the three.

"Uh... sure. Come in. You are?" Fox asked

"I'm Joseph. Pleasure to meet you." The male fox slipped off his hood, as did one of the two at the back, who fox could now see was a spaniel, a female around about the same age as him. "Listen, James. Well, not actually James. Your real name is Fox McCloud, is it not?"

"Guess the cat's outta the bag now. Yep, that's me. The false name keeps people who don't like me off my tail." he replied, scratching the back of his head.

"Well, I can assure you now Mr. McCloud, that my employer is not one of those people. In fact, he could have killed you by now if he wanted to. He's right here." Joseph told him, gesturing to the remaining male hooded figure. Off slipped the hood, and a surprisingly familiar face greeted them.

"Wolf? What the hell are you doing here?" Fox asked. "You've got some nerve after what Star Wolf and it's members have done to me over the years."

"Star Wolf is finished, pup. I saw to that personally. I'm here with a proposition. Clarke, K, the damping if you please." Fox blinked, confused as to what in Lyla's name he was talking about, and was then taken by complete surprise. Three of them now looked completely different. They were now in completely different clothes, barring 'K', whoever she was. The white vulpine was now orange, with blue markings and a familiar set of white 'tattoos' on his arms. Cerinian. Some kind of mind trick to make them all look like they were wearing the same getup most likely. They all had a modern R-100 Blaster Pistol attached to their hips on a holster, and slung over Joseph's back was a VS-25 Sniper Rifle, and a staff that looked identical to the one Krystal used to use. The spaniel and Wolf had S-96 Designated Marksman Rifles, and the weapons were all painted a bright, clean white colour. K, as Wolf had called her, kept her robed appearance, suggesting that Joseph was still 'damping' her. Or, Fox realised with a sudden jolt of surprise, she was doing it herself. He glanced to her tail and, sure enough, it was cerulean blue. But something caught Fox's eye, and that was the biggest surprise he'd had in months. Glinting amongst her tail fur was a set of two silver rings.

The same two Fox had given Krystal.

It must have been true, because at that point he felt a tickling sensation at the back of his mind. The one named Joseph stood alert.

"Krys, you're rumbled." he muttered.

'Krys' sighed. "Well," she said, smiling meekly, "I was about to tell you anyway." Her hand moved for her hood and it fell to her neck. Fox could now see who she truly was. He took off his father's shades just to make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him, but It was her. The black nose, the petite white muzzle, the blue hair, the small, pointed ears, and those beautiful, turquoise-blue eyes.

"Kry- K- Krystal?" Fox breathed, unable to comprehend the fact that it was well and truly her.

A thought flashed through everyone except Fox and Krystal's minds. "They need some 'alone time'. Bug out, people." Joseph's voice instructed.

"Oh, shit! I left my freakin' arc welder on! I better go fix it. Be back in a sec." With that, Miyu strode off towards the other side of the garage, Falco quickly following suit, muttering something about lending a wing.

"I better go check on the Arwings. Fay, with me. Joseph, go check on the situation outside with the press. Damp yourself to look like Fox." Wolf instructed. He then turned to Krystal. "You, uh, debrief McCloud now and the others when they get, uh, back."

Krystal nodded, and watched as they left the room. Before he left however, Joseph turned to face her.

"Remember, Krys. Second chances. Good luck." With that, he exited, leaving the two vulpines alone for the first time in eight, maybe even nine months. Fox stood there, not really sure what to say to her.

"Krys, I don't even know where to start. I-"

"Then don't start." She stated simply, "I will. I'm sorry, Fox. I'm so sorry."

"Wait, what? You're sorry? I'm the one who should be sorry. I made a huge mistake." Fox replied, stunned.

"Not half as big as the one I made. I took you trying to keep me safe the wrong way, I left, and I joined up with Star Wolf. I only hope you can forgive me."

"Of course!" Fox yelled, "In a heartbeat. How about you? Will you forgive me, Krys?"

"Yes, of course I will." She replied, tears of joy flowing freely down her face. "Look, Fox? Why don't we just go back to the way things used to be? Before that night on the bridge? Back when we could trust each other, and we loved each other?"

"I was thinking the same idea. It's... it's so wonderful to see you again, Krys, I... I just..."

"Oh, just shut up already." She muttered, pulling him by the collar into a kiss. Her tears stained his face, but right now he was so overjoyed he couldn't care less.

At that very moment, Wolf came back inside. "Hey McCloud, you up to speeeee..." the lupine trailed off, walking backwards back out the door. As Krystal pulled away from a blushing Fox, the rest of the team and Falco and Miyu returned from their tasks, with Fay pushing a wide-eyed Wolf back inside the room.

"So, filled them in, Krystal?" Wolf asked, having regained his composure.

"Um, not quite..." Krystal replied, scratching the back of her head.

"Well, that's OK, I'll handle it. Now, pup, I assume you've caught on by now, what with the Arwings and one of it's original members, that I'm trying to put Star Fox back together. And no Star Fox team is complete without a McCloud. So, if you join, I'll hand the reigns back to their rightful owner and join on as a member. Sound good?"

"Uh, does this go for me and Lynxy here too?" Falco asked.

"Well, to be honest, we were only actually counting on it just being you and Fox. But, I'm sure that we can find another spot. That is, if you're..."

"Wolf, it's Star Fox coming back. Say no more, I'm in." Falco stated, clasping his wings together in anticipation.

"Me too. You'll need someone to replace Hare's 'controller' role anyway. I'm sure I can handle that." Miyu explained.

"Well Fox?" Krystal asked, "Are you in?"

"Well," he replied, putting back on his father's shades, "It's like you said. Every Star Fox needs a McCloud. It's about time I gave merc life a second chance."

* * *

**And there we go! Miyu Leslie (Because calling her Lynx was just too boring!) is introduced, the Arwings get an upgrade, perception damping is reused like I said it would be, and, most importantly, Fox and Krystal are finally reunited and the title of this story is kind of explained! Yay! Sorry it's a day late, I was ill yesterday and I stayed in bed all day typing on my phone, which is slow as hell.**

**So, with that, I'll see you next Saturday!**

**Later,**

**- Wing.**


End file.
